This invention relates to a device for dispensing coins, and more particularly concerns a device adapted to direct controlled amounts of coins into a toll basket at toll-paying stations on highways.
On many of the toll highways throughout the United States, special toll gates are provided for motorists who have the exact coin or combination of coins for the payment of the toll due, in order to facilitate toll payment and to save the cost of an attendant at that gate. At such toll gates, baskets with screen bottoms are provided into which the motorist throws the coin in payment of the toll, a procedure he may carry out by merely slowing down without stopping or waiting.
The accurate throwing of the coin in payment of the toll, however, is difficult for many people and frequently results in the misdirection of the coin, so that it falls to the ground, requiring an embarrassing stop and delay to search for and pick up the coin and deposit it. This is due, mainly, to the fact that toll payments are generally made to the left of the drivers, who are generally right handed and find it difficult to throw accurately with their left hand. Also, the left hand of a driver is generally confined against the side of the vehicle and not convenient to manage.
Further, the payment of tolls, in general, frequently requires the fumbling and fishing about in pocket or purse for the requisite coinage; a further delaying procedure. When the vehicle window adjacent the driver is rolled down to its open position in preparation for throwing the coins, conditioned air within the vehicle is lost, the amount of said lost conditioned air being dependent upon the extent to which the window is rolled down and the length of time the window is kept open.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,148 discloses a device for dispensing coins at toll stations, said device requiring installation upon the exterior of the vehicle and lacking sufficient manipulative versatility to function with differently placed toll collection baskets.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,588 discloses a hand held coin-ejecting gun. Although convenient to use, the gun is of expensive construction and limited to just one coin type.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a hand-held device for accurately dispensing coins into the collection basket of a highway toll station.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object capable of handling a variety of coins and having manipulative versatility.
It is a still another object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature capable of easy operation and amenable to low cost manufacture.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.